andysofun 2025-03-07 06:51 p.m.I respectfully object to the court's decision to deny the defendant a jury trial. The offense that he is charged with is not petty and carries a possible fine of $3.6 million, a substantial punishment. Of course, "Where a fine is so insubstantial that the underlying offense is considered 'petty,' the Sixth Amendment right of jury trial is not triggered" Southern Union Co. v. United States, 567 U.S. 343 (2012). But a $3.6 million fine is not insubstantial. If you'd compare it to the maximum amount of punitive damages allowed in a wrongful death lawsuit, $1 million, a $3.6 million fine is 260% higher. It'd take a substantial amount of time to make $3.6 million, making it a serious punishment. The seriousness of a $3.6 million fine is even higher when a defendant is an individual rather than an organization or business, as "Where the defendant is an individual, a large fine may 'engender ‘a significant infringement of personal freedom.’" Id. For these reasons, I ask the court to grant the defendant the jury trial he is entitled to under the 6th Amendment.